Politics
Here at VoteWater we talk a lot about electing clean-water candidates. But how can you elect them when they’re not running? There’s an abundance of candidates running for federal and high-profile state offices this election year — including 41 candidates…
State Rep. Lauren Melo wants you to know she loves wild Florida. Growing up, the Naples Republican used to hunt quail and learned to drive a “three on the tree” gear shifter in the wide-open spaces. As she told the…
The Everglades immigrant detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” is damaging enough in its own right, inflicting untold harms on the site and the greater Everglades ecosystem. But more damaging over the long haul may be the legal precedent being…
Now it all makes sense. As we and others have noted this legislative session, there’s been a huge onslaught of pro-”sprawl” bills, most of which invoke “affordable housing.” That is, if we limit local governments ability to regulate new housing…
You think you know what’s best for your community? Lawmakers in faraway Tallahassee disagree. Indeed, this year there are multiple bills in the state Legislature with a single goal: Taking power away from local communities. Some of them involve straight-up…
State campaign finance data for the fourth quarter of 2025 has dropped, and initially we were going to write about how much Big Sugar gave last year. And in fact, we WILL write about it, right here: According to the…
Last month our “Deep Dive” into proposed changes to wetlands protections under the federal Clean Water Act noted that the public comment period was to end Jan. 5 — this past Monday. So now what? To reiterate, the federal Environmental…
Look, you know how the game is played. Special interests call the tune, your legislators dance; they file bills written by and for deep-pocketed donors. And as you’ve heard us say so many times over the years, few donors have…
Wetlands — whether massive marshes stretching across South Florida like the Everglades or little bitty bogs tucked away in a subdivision — are vital to the environment. They improve water quality, help prevent and reduce floods, recharge groundwater and store…
Developers, Legislators want to shut you out – and shut you up
The Florida Legislature is now in session. What could possibly go wrong? In fact, the sheer number of bad bills filed this year is stunning. Many involve attempts to push more “sprawl” through the pipeline with less public oversight. There…